forgiveness (can you imagine)
by ipsa dixit
Summary: "You might care about me, but under your grand scheme, I'm less important. I get it." Gellert blinks. "You're not less important."


_i love this 'after ariana's death' scene asdfghjkl_

 _prompts at the bottom_

 _578 words, by google docs_

* * *

"Albus."

"No."

" _Albus._ "

" _No_."

Gellert thinks that he should start keeping track of how many times he's apologised, and how many times he's been rejected. Maybe, some time in the distant future, they'll be useful when anyone wants to apologise to Albus Dumbledore; they'll know how many times they have to tap through Albus' freezing exterior.

He's tempted to bring up the fact that _he didn't even do it_ , but he knows that Albus' cold shoulder will turn dowright _icy_.

Stubborn git.

Still, the silence hurts Gellert. It screams in his ears and tears him up inside.

"After months of never shutting up with your mounds of plans," Gellert says, not being able to take it anymore, " _now_ you shut up?"

Albus shrugs. He's not facing Gellert and Gellert wants to force him to make eye contact with him.

"Listen to me," Gellert says, trying one again. "The human world is a _mess_. She would've died eventually—"

"I used to care what you thought," Albus says, finally speaking. Gellert feels a tug at Albus' voice; it's laced with grief but is _still_ powerful, somehow. "I used to care that you might try to hurt me. I used to think ' _oh, he doesn't care'_." Albus pauses and Gellert bites his lip. He can taste blood. He wants to interject so badly, but he knows that Albus might be quiet again.

"I guess I was wrong," he finishes. He's still not facing Gellert, but Gellert can see him fold his hands in his lap.

"How were you wrong?" Gellert asks, once Albus is silent again.

"You do care. Just about the wrong things," Albus says, finally, _finally_ , turning to face Gellert and—

"Do you want me to fix your nose?" Gellert can't stop himself from asking the question; Albus' nose looks awful, crooked and broken. Gellert lets out a little chuckle. "You were never really good at healing spells."

He pulls out his wand, but Albus shakes his head quickly. His brows furrow a little bit.

"I don't want you to do anything to me. You've done enough."

"Albus," Gellert says, quickly. He says it with _urgency_ because Albus is sounding like he doesn't want to speak to Gellert anymore and Gellert can't stand the thought. The thought is crawling up his stomach. It feels like it's about to burst. "What _wrong_ thing do I care about? I care about _you_ ," he adds as an afterthought.

"Second," Albus responds. He takes a deep breath and Gellert mimics it.

"What do you _mean_?"

"You might care about me," Albus says, taking another breath, "but under your grand scheme, I'm less important. I get it."

Gellert blinks, once, twice, three times. He feels something poking behind his eyes and he doesn't like the feeling at all.

"You're not less important."

Albus sighs and stands up. "My siblings—sorry, _sibling_ —is, though, to you, but not to me. That's unforgivable, sorry." Albus starts to make his way to the door and Gellert feels something _ripping_ at his stomach.

He can't let Albus leave; Albus is his _partner_ , his brother-in-arms, the person who will actually put their plans into actions, the one who has enough _guts_ to. Albus is, well, _Albus_. He can't just _leave_ Gellert.

"I love you," Gellert says, as a last-ditch effort. Maybe, _maybe_ , he'll _stay_. Albus shakes his head and walks out anyway. He stops at the doorway for a second, hesitating, before turning back to Gellert and sighing.

"No, you don't."

* * *

 _assignment 5 [charms - write about someone trying to clean up a mess they made]_

 _cocktail crafting [starter pack - gellert/albus]_

 _caffeine awareness [cappuccino - write a story using only two characters]_

 _writing club [character appreciation - write about being betrayed; disney - sebastian - use the dialogue, "listen to me. the human world is a mess."; book club - miles richter - intelligent, arrogant, "i used to care what you thought, and i used to care that you might try to hurt me."; showtime - funny honey - "he doesn't care."]_


End file.
